Borough

72-80 Causewayside EH9(0131 668 2255)

This tiny boutique hotel, with just nine bedrooms, looks like it
was designed by Stanley Kubrick. The rooms are comfortable but
small with DVD players and Molton Brown toiletries. Chef Brian
Jones is behind the excellent restaurant. Price rating: 0/5

Holyrood Hotel

Holyrood Road(0131 225 3921)

The Holyrood, next to the new Scottish Parliament, has 157 rooms, eight front-of-house suites, full spa and conference facilities and a butler service on the Club Floor. Here, there is private lift access, a well-stocked library, a comfortable lounge and valet to take care of your every need. Price rating: 2/5

Hotel du Vin

11 Bristo Place, Edinburgh EH1(0131 247 4900)

Set in a former lunatic asylum in the city's Old Town, Hotel du
Vin Edinburgh was added to the Hotel du Vin chain in late
2008. It adheres to HdV's tried-and-tested formula of chic
contemporary decor, with lots of glass walls and a muted colour
scheme, and all 47 rooms and suites come with enormous beds with
hand-sprung mattresses, freestanding baths and monsoon showers. The
Bistro, where a sommelier is on hand to help guests negotiate the
extensive wine list, serves classic European cuisine with a modern
twist. Featured in the Gold List 2011

Price rating: 3/5

Malmaison

One Tower Place, Leith(0131 468 5000)

A stylish hotel down by the Leith docks, Malmaison is renowned both for its bold, beautiful decor and its hospitality. Most rooms have good views, and all include CD players and fresh flowers. The food is excellent, both in the Brasserie and the Café Bar. Price rating: 1/5

Prestonfield

Priestfield Road(0131 225 7800)

The old-world glamour is thanks to attentive staff, who come to find you in whichever room in the house you decide to take dinner or a drink, and an amazing restaurant, Rhubarb, named as it was the first estate in Scotland to grow it. Price rating: 0/5

Rooms

55A Frederick Street(0131 622 7800)

Not strictly a hotel, Rick's restaurant*bar*rooms, is located in
the heart of Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. Its bar-restaurant
occupies the basement of a neo-classical townhouse and offers an
eclectic pan-European-meets-Pacific Rim menu, while its 10
contemporary style bedrooms occupy three floors of an abutting
Georgian warehouse. Excellent service. Price rating: 1/5

The Balmoral

1 Princes Street(0131 556 2414)

This grand old building is ideally situated between the Old and New Towns. Rooms are smart, many with excellent views, and the hotel boasts an impressive array of bars and restaurants. Price rating: 2/5

The Bonham

35 Drumsheugh Gardens(0131 226 6050)

Period and contemporary styles combine beautifully in these restored Victorian townhouses in the city centre. Each room contains an integrated TV/audio/DVD/computer system. Price rating: 2/5

The George Inter-Continental

19-21 George Street(0131 225 1251)

Spectacular Georgian architecture is one feature of this large hotel near Edinburgh's business district. Also ideal for George Street's chic shops, this establishment includes a couple of fine eateries, and typically hospitable Scottish service. Price rating: 0/5

The Glasshouse

152 Morrison Street, The Exchange, Edinburgh(0777 600 3890)

The post-modern Glasshouse (a Gothic church merged with a leisure centre) boasts an extraordinary, two-acre rooftop garden of juniper and heather, with views of Calton Hill. For the lazy, 30 of the 65 bedrooms open out onto garden patios. Inside, there's under-floor heating in the bathrooms, nudes on the walls and remote control curtains. There is no restaurant, although room service can provide Champagne and pizza, and a full Scottish breakfast is served in The Observatory room. The Glasshouse is not the most gregarious of Scottish hotels, but it is stylish enough to have hosted both The Darkness and Meryl Streep (though not on the same night). The Glasshouse was featured in . Price rating: 2/5

The Gleneagles Hotel

Auchterarder, Perthshire(0800 389 3737)

41 miles from Edinburgh. Described as 'a Riviera in the
Highlands' when it opened in 1924, the 270-room château-style hotel
is as popular today as it ever was - it was voted best UK leisure
hotel in our . The renowned golf course hosts many competitions and
one of the hotel's four restaurants, run by Andrew Fairlie, has a
Michelin star. There is also an equestrian centre and spa. The
Gleneagles was featured in our special feature UK
Hotels. Price rating: 2/5

The Point

Situated at the foot of Castle Rock, this hotel has recently
joined the Hilton Doubletree chain and is being renovated at the
time of writing (summer 2013). Price rating: 1/5

The Scotsman

20 North Bridge(0131 556 5565)

For almost a century, Scotland's grand old national newspaper
was edited (and printed) in this baronial office block. But several
years ago it was converted into a chic, discreet hotel, a
comfortable blend of traditional five-star and smart boutique. Price rating: 0/5

The Witchery

By The Castle, 52 Castlehill(0131 225 5613)

James Thomson's city-centre prototype, which celebrates its
silver jubilee this year, is just as eccentric and colourful as his
new out-of-town acquisition, Prestonfield (see above). A
16th-century merchant house, named after the witches burnt on
Castlehill, it's an operatic fantasy, stuffed with bizarre curios
and antiques. The two restaurants are relatively restrained, but
only compared to the gloriously camp guest suites. Like
silent-movie evocations of an imaginary Scotland, these dreamlike
hideaways have been inhabited by Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson,
and Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Price rating: 3/5

Turnberry Resort

Turnberry, Ayrshire(01655 331 000 )

99 miles from Edinburgh. Set in 800 acres of countryside on the
west coast of Scotland, this grand Edwardian country-house resort
is best known for its two championship golf courses, which were
host to the 2009 Open Championships.The resort reopened in 2009
ahead of the Championships after a massive refurbishment,
thanks to a £65 million investment made by new owners Leisurecorps.
It is now part of the prestigious Starwood's Luxury Collections,
which boasts among its portfolio 70 of the world's most exclusive
hotels. Guests can now enjoy fine teas and exquisite cuisine in
four new restaurants, bars and lounges, as well as a complimentary
full Scottish breakfast served each morning. A newly-decorated spa
has breathtaking views out to sea, and features the latest
treatments by renowned spa specialists ESPA. Activities on offer
include clay pigeon shooting, 4x4 off-road driving, horse
riding, quad biking and falconary, to name a few. Price rating: 4/5

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I will be travelling to Edinburgh from London on 18 July with my cousin by East Coach Trains arriving at about 17.00. We are two ladies, I am 72 and my cousin is 64. This will be our first visit to Scotland where we plan to be for about five days and we need lots of guidance. We would like to visit Lauder, the birth place of our grandmother. We do not know how far Lauder is from Edinburgh. How should we travel there from Edinburgh? Would it be best if we should plan to travel directly to Lauder on our arrival and book into a B and B there? If so, could you recommend a hotel or B and B in Lauder? We would of course like to visit Edinburgh during our stay. Any advice and guidance will be most gratefuly appreciated.

June Rainger07 Jun 2010

www.travelinescotland.com
The best way to plan your journey in Scotland is to use the Traveline Scotland website which will give full directions and times for any journey including any sections where you need to walk between train and bus. Easy to use and works well with both local and long distance journeys.
In the request made here the bus journey to Lauder takes just over an hour with buses leaving hourly from Princes Street a few minutes from the Railway station.

Peter Matthews29 Jun 2011

The Dynamic Earth Museum

Jacqueline Byrne13 Aug 2012

My husband (56 yrs) and I (40yrs) will be in London for a week and would like to visit Edinburgh for 2 nights/3days in end Oct'14. This is our first trip to Scotland and so we would like to make the most of it by enjoying the history, culture and cuisine of Edinburgh. I would also like to book us for a half/full day cookery class (top notch) specializing in seafood, lamb and desserts. Pl recommend a central but stylish hotel, great restaurants, tea cafes and cookery class options.